Scaffolding Student Success in the Wilds of Open Source Contribution

Abstract

This Innovative Practice Work in Progress paper reports on our experience scaffolding student success in the uncertain landscape of open source. Following participation in a faculty workshop on the subject, the first author spent two consecutive terms developing, teaching, and revising an upper-division open source software course. The difference between the two course offerings was astounding; students enrolled in the second iteration made more successful project contributions, spent more of their own time working outside of class, and felt a greater connection to both the project and the developer community of which they were a part. We detail our experiences here, with particular focus on the importance of project selection - as well as the revisions we believe to be most responsible for improvement: additional mentorship, supplemental in-class tutorials, more dedicated class time for teamwork, intentional team groupings, and access to large screens for collaboration.